Stellenbosch – Activist Johan Pienaar wants people to start talking about the old South African flag.

Pienaar laid down the old Oranje, Blanje, Blou (orange, white, blue) with names of some of the most prominent apartheid architects and enablers written on it, inviting attendees of the US Woordfees in Stellenbosch to walk on it.

"I included those names because some of them were instrumental in it. But we must remember, it was a system," he said.

"Riaan Cruywagen, for example, went on TV every night and read the news. In a way, he was part of the system. I am not saying he is a bad person."

Pienaar said he bought the old flag from a second-hand goods page on Facebook in November last year, following outrage over the display of the flag during the Black Monday process.

"It further highlighted a disconnect prevalent in the white community about the deep symbolism this flag is imbued with. It is the symbol of a crime against humanity, perpetrated in the name of white South Africa," Pienaar wrote on a website he created ahead of the protest.

Pienaar's protest comes after the Nelson Mandela Foundation approached the Equality Court last week to declare "gratuitous and unwarranted" displays of the old South African flag as hate speech.

The foundation's Lunga Nene said they have asked for unwarranted displays to be criminalised.

"Through public debates with AfriForum, one of the leading figures in the Black Monday demonstrations, it became apparent to the foundation that some South Africans do not fully appreciate that apartheid was a crime against humanity," she said at the time.

Danie Marais, one of the Woordfees organisers, said Pienaar was not part of the event, but he was free to practise his freedom of speech.

"He isn't part of the festival. To us, he is just Johan Pienaar, standing on a sidewalk in Stellenbosch," Marais said.

Tell us a bit about yourself:

Saving your profile

Settings

News24 allows you to edit the display of certain components based on a location.
If you wish to personalise the page based on your preferences, please select a
location for each component and click "Submit" in order for the changes to
take affect.

Your Location*

Weather*

Always remember my setting

Saving your settings

Facebook Sign-In

Hi News addict,

Join the News24 Community to be involved in breaking the news.

Log in with Facebook to comment and personalise news, weather and listings.